Who's Keeping the Fire? An Analysis of Who's Being Published in a Major Interior Design Periodical

This study was designed to determine who is receiving public recognition for interior design work published in a major design periodical and to speculate on the future of the profession and implications for interior design education based on an analysis of the findings. A matrix was developed to document the biographical data published for the featured designers, including gender, education, professional affiliations, location of firm, and type and location of work published. The biographies of 959 individual designers were analyzed from 1980 through 1990. The findings reveal that, despite the development of professionalism during the past 25 years, fewer individuals with degrees in interior design are being published than those educated in allied disciplines. The relationship of these findings to graduate education and research is discussed.